The World Bank’s webinar series “Bringing Nature to Cities: Integrated Urban Solutions to Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change” will promote integrated urban solutions for cities to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. Co-hosted by the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC) and the Global Program on Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience, the series of thematic events will provide an online knowledge exchange platform connecting policymakers, practitioners, and experts to further mainstream biodiversity considerations into cities and development projects.
Nature-based solutions (NBS) can drastically reduce ambient temperatures in cities. Trees, vegetation, water bodies, green roofs and green surfaces can mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI), improve thermal comfort in and around buildings, reducing the need for mechanical cooling, while bringing countless quality of life and health benefits to urban communities. While the benefits for people and the planet of well-designed NbS are clear, the implementation of urban NBS for cooling is not happening at the scale and speed required to ensure increased resilience of city dwellers to the impacts of rising temperatures.
This webinar presented transformational tools that can help cities plan and implement comprehensive cooling strategies that include NBS and passive cooling interventions. Leading experts outlined the multiple benefits of NBS for cooling, while city representatives from around the world shared their experiences in developing NBS to respond to heat risks and climate resilience needs.